


At Home

by truth_renowned



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 21:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7331626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truth_renowned/pseuds/truth_renowned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr prompt: Peggy is back from a long mission and is eager to reunite with Daniel. Jarvis is about to drop her off at Stark’s but she requests to be dropped off at Daniel’s. Takes place after 2x10.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At Home

Three and a half weeks.

That’s how long she had been in Austria. Once the Department of War got wind of a HYDRA cell possibly holed up somewhere in the Alps, her name was bandied about, starting with Colonel Chester Phillips, as the lead for the mission. Within two days, she was on a military transport plane.

She’d wanted to decline the mission, though declining was not presented as an option. She wanted to decline because she and Daniel were investigating Jack's attempted murder, though if she were honest with herself, that wasn't the only reason.

She smiled thinking about Daniel, what she had done in his office. What _they_ had done in his office. A passionate kiss, then word of Jack being shot and an immediate investigation, then Austria. All of it happened in just a few days’ time. It seemed so long ago. It was a lifetime ago.

She’d been in the field much of the three and a half weeks in Austria, getting just two five-minute phone calls. Both were to Daniel at the office, both intercepted by Rose, as he was out of the office each time. Rose filled her in on Jack's improvement and the lack of movement on his case. She wanted to tell Rose to let Daniel know that she thought of him every day and every night. That definitely would not have been appropriate, so instead, she told Rose to tell Daniel that she was fine, and she hoped he was doing well. Ridiculous words, really, but it was all she had the nerve to say.

The plane bumped along, turbulence the rule rather than the exception on this flight. She didn't care. Each bump meant they were moving forward, closer to... home? Where was home now? New York? Technically yes, that was home; it’s where she lived, where she worked. But then one of her mum's sayings popped into her head: ‘Home is where the heart is’. Her heart was not in New York any longer. Her heart was where she had found that one compelling reason to stay among the palm trees, the terrible drivers and the tacos. Was her heart welcome there? 

They'd had no time to talk after the kiss, much less have a proper follow-up. They dove right into Jack's case, running down lead after lead, all dead ends. A chaste kiss here, a light touch there was all they had. Then came the call from the Department of War, her flight, the mission.

She’d requested the 107th Regiment but they were on another mission. She'd had to take a team she didn't know. They were good men, willing to see her as their commanding officer, but they weren't her Howling Commandos. Regardless, they found the cell, consisting of exactly fifteen people, all holdovers from the war who didn't think the war was over. All were in custody, their sad excuse for a base destroyed.

“About ten minutes out, ma’am,” the pilot yelled from the cockpit.

She was the only one of her team left on the plane. The others disembarked when they landed in New York. The thought of joining them flashed in her mind but she dismissed it. The pilot, based at Muroc Army Air Base, had to fly the plane back to California, and she’d asked for a ride. A ride… home?

By the time they landed, dusk had painted the sky an orange-pink. She stepped off the plane, her duffel strung over her shoulder, and she saw the familiar dapperly dressed gentleman. How he was able to gain access to an Army base crossed her mind but it flickered away just as fast. Two words: Howard Stark.

“Miss Carter.”

“Mr. Jarvis.”

He took the bag from her and loaded it into the boot as she settled into the passenger seat.

He entered the car and started the engine. “I trust your flight was adequate.”

“As adequate as a military transport can be.”

He nodded and drove away from the base. “Muroc is a little more than an hour from Los Angeles. Feel free to catch a catnap if you'd like.”

A catnap? She hadn't slept in more than 24 hours. She would need all nine lives of a cat to nap enough to make up for that.

“Thank you, Mr. Jarvis. I may take you up on that.”

She closed her eyes. Her last thought before she drifted off was reuniting with Daniel...

“Miss Carter?”

She bolted awake, not realizing where she was at first.

“We are close to Mr. Stark's residence,” he offered.

“Howard’s?”

“Yes. Your suite has been cleaned and prepped for your arrival.”

“Actually…” She stopped herself. It was presumptuous to assume Daniel would want to see her. They'd never talked, never addressed what happened between them in his office, never addressed the stolen kisses in the days leading up to her mission. She knew what she wanted from him, _with_ him, but what did he want? Perhaps she should wait until tomorrow, meeting on the common ground of the office. That would be the safe thing to do.

“Actually, Mr. Jarvis, please take me to Chief Sousa’s residence.”

She saw his eyebrow rise. “Does he know you will be arriving?”

“No.”

She looked at him and met his gaze briefly, hoping her expression told him what she did not want to speak aloud. She needed to see Daniel. Needed it more than her next breath. Needed to know if what happened between them was just the heat of the moment, or if it was the heat of two years of looks and touches and longing and love exploding to the forefront, where it belonged.

“Very well, Miss Carter.”

They drove the last few minutes in silence. Mr. Jarvis’s unspoken questions remained unanswered, for which she was grateful. He knew of her attraction to Daniel. He had so eloquently pointed it out to her on one of their many drives together. He didn’t know that she acted on that attraction. Or did he?

They pulled up in front of Daniel’s house. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Will you be staying the evening?”

She whipped her head toward Mr. Jarvis, shocked at his words. He was looking forward, eyes on the road, his expression betraying nothing.

“I…” Would she? Should she? Would he want her to? “I don’t know.”

He tipped his head slightly.

She opened the car door and stepped out. Was she about to make a fool out of herself? Here goes nothing, she thought as she walked up the steps. Another deep breath and her hand rapped on the door.

She waited, her stomach like a roller coaster. He wasn’t here. Maybe he was still at the office. He was the chief, after all. Late nights were understandable, even the norm. Besides, she didn't present the most attractive picture: Hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, face free of makeup, dressed in military-drab combat garb. She hadn’t thought this through. She started to turn away and the door opened.

His face looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights, shocked, questioning. She’d misjudged this. She shouldn’t have come.

“Daniel, I’m back from Austria. I thought I would let you know.” Bloody hell, what kind of drivel was spilling from her mouth?! “I’m sorry for intruding on your evening. I should have called first but…”

He lurched forward, his hands cupping her face and his lips were on hers. She heard metal clanking, assuming it was his crutch hitting the floor, as both of his hands were busy at the moment. He turned to lean against the doorjamb, taking her with him. Her hands went to his shirt, not to push him away but to grip the fabric in her fists, pulling him closer. Not close enough. His lips were soft and tasted slightly of coffee, of him, of what she had missed for three and a half weeks. His hands burrowed in her hair, his mouth telling her everything she wanted to hear. He missed her. He wanted her.

They separated their lips, both breathing heavily.

“I wasn’t sure if you still wanted… this,” she said, suddenly shy.

He smiled and shook his head. “Peggy, I’ve wanted this since the day I met you. I wasn’t sure if you wanted…”

“I do, Daniel. I do want… this. You. Us.”

His mouth covered hers again, the kiss decidedly different than the others before. She felt his tongue against her lips, tentative, begging entrance. She gave it willingly, enthusiastically. This spurred him on more, no longer hesitant. The feeling of his mouth taking hers -- and that was what he was doing, taking her, taking what was now his -- made her whimper into the kiss. In the back of her mind, she realized they were on his doorstep, publicly displaying what should be done behind closed doors. But she couldn’t stop. She wouldn’t stop. Like a dam on the verge of collapse, she was unable to hold back the floodwaters any longer. The feeling was mutual, obviously, as his hands tilted her head, allowing him better access to her mouth, her tongue. She wanted to give him access to all of her, if he would take it.

She heard something hit the porch and she pulled back from Daniel. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her duffel. She turned back to Daniel, her eyes asking. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod. He wanted her to stay.

She turned her head, meeting Mr. Jarvis’s gaze. “Thank you, Mr. Jarvis.”

He offered her a small, knowing smile. “Welcome home, Miss Carter.”

He walked down the stairs, and she turned back to Daniel. Smiling, she left the warmth of his body. She picked up her duffel and walked inside the house, bending to grab his crutch as she went. He took the crutch and the duffel from her and closed the door behind them. The bag was dropped inside the door, freeing his hand to take hers as he led her to the couch. He sat down, and she thought about sitting next to him. She should. That would be the safe thing to do.

Before she had a chance to think, she stepped in front of him, placing one knee on the couch, then the other, straddling his hips. She heard his gasp but his face quickly made up for his surprise.

His gaze met hers, searching for something. “Are you sure, Peggy?”

“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything,” she said.

Sitting on his lap, his lips and hands exploring her, she finally, _finally_ , was at home.


End file.
